Locking mechanism for adjustable seats



April 11, 1939. LE GRAND s. WHEDON 2,154,294

LOCKING MECHANISM FOR ADJUSTABLE SEATS Filed Dc. 22, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Le (ircmd SWBEHSE,

BY QW W, VQW.

' ATT RNEYS April 11, 1939.

LE GRAND S. WHEDON LOCKING MECHANISM FOR ADJUSTABLE SEATS Filed Dec. 22, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR LeGmndSWhedon,

Yaw.

ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 11, 1939 PATENT OFFICE LOOKING MECHANISM FOR ADJUSTABLE SEATS Le Grand S. Whedon, Medina, N. Y.

Application December 22, 1936, Serial No. 117,207

4 Claims.

This invention relates to an adjustable seat installation for vehicles, or other structures, and it has particular relation to an improved supporting and operating mechanism for adjusting seating elements in such manner as to conform readily to various positions desired by persons of variousheights, weights, or other physical characteristics or preferences that might require either average or special seating arrangements.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved adjustable seat structure having a minimum number of parts and connections for insuring maximum, variation in adjusted positions of the structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide an adjusting mechanism adapted to be installed in conjunction with a seat structure and including an improved unitary locking device which insures positive adjustment of the seat structure within the limits of movement of the latter.

A satisfactory embodiment of the invention includes arcuate guides or supports upon which the seat structure is supported for forward or rearward movement and such movement causes the rear of theseat structure to be lowered when moved rearwardly and the front thereof to be raised concurrently, while the seat structure is also. tilted; or the movements can be reversed when the seat structure is 'moved forwardly from its rearward position.

Animproved lost motion locking mechanism connected to the arcuate guides, and having a handle conveniently accessible to the vehicle operator, compensates for slight play in the interfitting parts of the guides and prevents binding of any of the mechanism.

' In the drawings:

Fig. 1. is a side elevation of a seat structure installed in a conventional vehicle body that is shown inbroken lines;

Fig. 2Jis a fragmentary bottom plan of a supporting channel and latching mechanism incorporated therewith;

I Fig. "3 is-a perspective of arcuate, seat supporting rails or channels in'disassembled relation; Fig. 4 13 a plan of a seat adjusting unit including seat supporting channel members and latching mechanism Fig. 5-is a cross section on a larger scale, taken substantially along the line V V of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6, is a cross section taken substantially along the line- VIVI of Fig. 4; and

--Fig. '7 is a cross section taken substantially along thelineVII-VII of Fig. 5.

r 'In, practicing; the invention, a seatstructure I0.-

is installed upon a suitable base l2, which can be in the form of a floor of a vehicle M, or other suitable support. Two parallel arcuate rails l6 of channel form are provided with extensions ll at opposite ends thereof terminating in flat platelike portions or flanges l8 which are bolted substantially horizontally, as indicated at l9, upon the base l2 to provide stationary supports.

Two upper arcuate rails 20 of channel form are interfitted in substantially telescoping relation with the stationary channel rails l6 and are connected by means of suitable fastening elements 22, such as screws or bolts, below and adjacent opposite sides of the seating structure and to the lower side of a seat bottom 23 which forms a part of the seat structure and with which a seat back 25 is assembled.

In order that the channel rails 20 can be firmly secured. to, and properly assembled with, the seat bottom 23, a plurality of spacers 26 are disposed between opposite end portions of the rails and the seat bottom, and the fastening elements 22 pass through these spacers.

These interfitting channel rails 1'6 and 20 adjacent each side of the seat structure slidably engage each other longitudinally throughout greater portions of their lengths. Thus it will be apparent that the upper rails 20 are movable to carry the seating structure thereon in directions forwardly and rearwardly upon the arcuate supporting surfaces of the lower stationary rails I6.

It should be understood that each channel rail [6 is so installed with reference to the other I parts of the arrangement described that the entire structures of the seat bottom and seat back are outside or above the arcs or curvatures described by the channel rails; that is, the radius describing the curvature of the arc of each rail [6 extends away from and below the seating portion of the structure toward the axis of curvature,.which is indicated at 21. The arc or curvature of the upper rail 20 is described about the same axis 21 as the are or curvature of the stationary rail l6.

Each stationary rail I6 is so arranged that its higher portion is intermediate its ends while both its opposite end portions curve downwardly. The sides 33 of the upper channel rails 20 are disposed. along the sides 35 of the stationary channel rails 16 and the marginal portions of the sides of the upper rails are bent inwardly to form lips-36 extending beneath and about the edges of the stationary rail sides 35. This arrangement prevents: separation of the upper and lower channel rails and insures proper guiding of the upper rails upon the lower rails.

An adjusting rod 40 extends transversely in rotatable relation through openings 4| in the sides 35 of the stationary rails l6, and one end thereof is bent at an angle to form an operating handle or lever 42 which is accessible for manual actuation adjacent one side of the seat structure. Adjacent the inner side of each stationary rail IS a latch 45 is mounted relatively loosely and pivotally upon the rod 30 which passes therethrough, and a. portion of the latch adjacent its connection to the rod is provided with a pair of spaced lugs t6 and 41. An integral enlargement or collar 48 formed upon the rod 40 is provided with an integral or rigid finger 50 disposed between the lugs 46 and 41 in such manner that the rod can be rotated a limited degree in the stationary rails l6 before actuating the latches 45. Each latch is confined pivotally on the rod 40 between the enlargement 48 and the adjacent rail side and the enlargements prevent axial displacement of the rod from the channel rails.

The outer end portion of each latch is in the form of a rigid locking finger 52 disposed at right angles thereto and extending freely through a slot 53 formed in the adjacent side of the lower channel rail it.

One side portion of each upper channel rail 20 is cut away, as indicated at 55, and the channel side thus narrowed is provided with a series of notches 56in any of which the finger 52 is adapted to be engaged. The other side portion of each channel rail 20 is cut away to form opposed stop shoulders 58 and 59 which, in conjunction with the rod 49, limit relative sliding movement between the upper and lower channel rails on each side of the seat structure. Suitable grooves 5'! formed longitudinally in the inner sides of the rails 29 provide for retention of lubricant to insure minimum frictional resistance to relative sliding movement of the rails I5 and 20.

A torsion spring 66 is wound about the rod 453 between the sides of each stationary channel rail I6 and one end 62 of the spring bears against the web of the channel rail, while its other end 63 is engaged with the finger 52 of the latch. This spring constantly exerts force tending to move the latch into engaged position with respect to the notches 56.

It is to be understood that the play or lost motion provided between the finger 5B and the lugs 46 and 41 is such that the latch finger 52 at one side of the seat structure can be engaged in a notch 56 before the other latch is so engaged on the other side of the seat structure; or one latch finger at one side of the structure can be engaged while the other finger on the other side of the structure impinges upon the edge of the channel rail adjacent the notch into which the latch finger will be forced as soon as the parts assume their registering relation. This arrangement compensates for any play that may occur in operating the channel rails and prevents any tendency toward binding of the operating parts, as well as obviating the inconvenience of installing precision locking elements in the mechanism.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the latching mechanism provides a very efficient and simple adjusting feature for determining the various relative positions of the telescoping channel members 16 and 25 and that, by simple manipulation of the handle 42 in one direction, the fingers 50 are moved through the lost motion spaces between the lugs 46 and 41 before impinging concurrently upon the lugs 46 at opposite sides of the structure to release each latch from the notch 56 in which it then may have been disposed. As soon as the handle 42 is released the torsion spring 60 forces each latch finger 52 toward its position of engagement with one of the notches 56 in the manner specified above.

Although only one form of the invention has been shown and described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not so limited, but that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or fromv the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a seat structure including a pair of elongate guide members fixed in parallel relation, means for supporting the guide members, a pair of sliding members interfitting with said guide members for longitudinal guiding movement thereon and connected to the seat structure, means for connecting said sliding members to each other, an actuating element rotatably mounted transversely in one of said pairs of members, the other of said pair of members having latch engaging means spaced lengthwise thereon, a latch pivoted upon the actuating element adjacent each member of the last mentioned pair of members, said latch having a pair of spaced 5-:

abutments, and means on the actuating element movable toward and away from said spaced abutments in response to relative pivotal action of the latch and said element to provide a lost motion pivotal connection between the latch and element.

2. In a seat structure including a pair of elongate guide members fixed in parallel relation, means for supporting the guide members, a pair of sliding members interfitting with said guide members for longitudinal sliding movement thereon and being connected tosaid seat structure, means for connecting said sliding members to each other, an actuating element rotatably mounted transversely in one of said. pairs of members, the other pair of said members having latch engaging means spaced lengthwise thereon, the actuating element having a projection thereon disposed adjacent each member through which said element is mounted, latches pivoted upon the actuating element and confined between the projections and said members through which the actuating element is mounted, said latches and actuating element having interfitting means relatively spaced for limiting pivotal movement of each latch upon the actuating element. 7

3. In a seat supporting structure for installation in a body of an automotive vehicle, a seat, a pair of elongate guide members disposed in parallel relation, a pair of slide members interfitting with the guide members for longitudinal sliding movement relative thereto whereby two sets of interfitting members are provided, means 7 connecting one of said pairs of members to the vehicle seat, means connecting the other pair of said members to the floor of the vehicle, an actuating element disposed transversely relative to said pairs of members, means supporting the actuating element rotatably relative to said pairs of members, the interfitting members of each set having registerable latch receiving means, a latch engageable with the latch receiving means of each set of interfitting members, each latch having a pair of spaced abutments disposed adjacent each set of interfitting members, and disposed substantially radially of the axis of rotation of said actuating element, a portion of the actuating member extending radially of its axis and disposed loosely between the spaced abutments of each latch toform a lost motion connection whereby the actuating element and latches can be actuated relatively within predetermined limits determined by the lost motion connection.

4. In a vehicle seat adjusting structure disposed in an automobile body, a seat, supporting means below the seat for supporting the latter in the vehicle body, adjusting mechanism connected to the seat and to the support for adjusting the seat forwardly and rearwardly in the vehicle body, said mechanism including a pair of interfitting members disposed adjacent each side of the seat and being relatively slidable in a path disposed longitudinally of the vehicle body, an actuating element rotatably mounted transversely on one of each pair of said members, the other member of each pair having a series of latch engaging means spaced lengthwise thereon, a latch pivoted upon the actuating element adjacent said other member of each pair, each latch releasably engageable with said latch engaging means and normally holding said interfitting members against relative movement, each latch having a pair of spaced abutments, and means on the actuating element disposed loosely between said abutments and movable toward and away from the latter in response to relative pivotal action of the latch and said element to provide a lost motion pivotal connection between the latch and element, and means constantly urging the latch toward its position of engagement with the latch engaging means.

LE GRAND S. WHEDON. 

